As the San Francisco Giants spring training season comes to an end, many Redwood students are looking forward to the upcoming baseball season.
Sophomore Greta Thompson, attended spring training for two consecutive weekends in early March.
“It was really exciting to be up close,” said Thompson, who added that fans can get closer to the action at spring training because the venue is smaller than a normal ballpark.
Redwood has a diverse group of students who are dedicated fans, whether of pop stars or a beloved team. They share the qualities of deep devotion, turning their fandom into an extreme passion.
Unlike many extreme fans who only dream of meeting their favorite pop star, sophomore Ruby Lucas met one of the band members of a teen pop group.
On a trip to Los Angeles, Lucas found One Direction member Niall Horan swimming in a hotel pool.
“I was in shock,” Lucas said. “I cried for two seconds, but then I realized he would see me crying, so then I stopped crying… after that I quickly said ‘Hi’ and ran away.”
Sophomore Bella Faria is also an extreme fan, but of pop star Justin Bieber.
“I’m a really hardcore Belieber,” Faria said. “I’ve liked Justin Bieber since he was still on YouTube.”
One of the highlights of Faria’s fan career came the day Justin Bieber followed her on Twitter. She was so excited that she could not make herself go to school for two days.
Freshman Kylie Kvam said she is also a dedicated Bieber and One Direction fan, and she described her feelings at one of his concerts.
“The nerves are going,” she said. “Knowing that you’re in the same room as them is really weird.”
Fanatical sports fans are just as devoted as pop star fans. However, sports fans are generally more concerned about their team winning than meeting the players.
Junior Matthew Walter is a huge fan of all the Bay Area sports teams.
“They are sort of all equal in my eyes,” he said.
“Going to the games is a lot of fun. It’s something more than just watching it on TV because you get a more intense experience,” Walter said.
Walter has been to one Giants playoff game and one 49ers playoff game. At both games, his team won.
“It’s definitely more amplified when you go to a playoff game because the experience is more high voltage,” he said.
Nate Flax, sophomore, is a fan of the Giants as well, attending 10 to 15 games a year. Flax has attended every opening day game since the new stadium was built, and always goes on his birthday. Along with those two games, he said he mixes in other games he wants to see and playoff games.
Flax said he loves the exciting atmosphere of the stadium.
“If it’s tight you’ve got a ton of adrenaline. You’re just sitting on every pitch waiting to see what happens.” Flax said. “When I’m excited, I yell at the players on the field.”
Flax attended Game One of the World Series last year, the game that Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs. He said it was one of the most exciting moments he ever witnessed in a ballpark.
“The second home run actually [landed] three guys to my right,” he said. “Everyone went insane.”
Faria also describes herself as a dedicated Warriors fan, and said she too enjoys the atmosphere in the stadium and loves cheering for her team.
“There is a lot of emotion rushing through, and a lot of adrenaline, you kind of just want to get up and scream and go crazy. But sometimes you have to keep calm because it’s a really serious point in the game,” Faria said.
